5J 



IRISH GARDENING. 



ArHii)KS OR Plant Lick. — These attack various 

 gardeu crops, but more particularly Broad Beans. 

 U'here it is practicable to syringe them with in- 

 secticides such as paraffin emulsion, nicotine, spray 

 mixtures, &c., they are easily dealt with, but they 

 increase in nianbers so rapidly that a constant 

 look out nnist be kept for them, otherwise the 

 erops become badly affected before the pest is even 

 suspected. If on Broad Beans they are particularly 

 difficult to deal with as they get in between the 

 folds of opening leaves, where no insecticide can 

 get at them. In the case of Beans which are sown 

 early the growing points or tops in which the 

 insects breed can be cut off after about four or 

 more bunches of flowers are formed. For the later 

 crops, dusting with lime, hellebore powder or crude 

 snuff at intervals of a few days, by means of a 

 hand bellows, or syringing with a warm solution 

 (just hot enough to bear the hands in) made from 

 two ounces of shag tobacco steeped in a gallon of 

 water, or the same quantity of carbolic soap, 

 applied at intervals of three days until the pest 

 lias vanished will prove fairly satisfactory. The 

 natural enemies of the aphides, such as the Lady 

 Birds and their larvae, and Hover fly larvae, 

 should be recogniseil and encouraged, when tlie 

 })ests will be better kept within bounds. 



Caterpillars. — The principal caterpillars which 

 affect the crops grown by plot holders are the 

 Cabbage Moth and Cabbage Butterfly caterpillars, 

 and occasionally the caterpillars of the diamond 

 l)acked moth. Where practicable, hand picking 

 of the caterpillars found on the under and ujiper 

 sides of Cabbage leaves, in the centre of the plants, 

 and on the ground below them, is fairly satis- 

 factory, keeping a watch for the oval eggs, about 

 a sixth of an inch in length, often to be seen on 

 the leaves and also for the chrysalides, to be found 

 on walls, tree stems, &c., in the case of the butter- 

 fly, and in the soil (reddish cases about three 

 quarters of an inch long) in the case of the Cab- 

 bage moth. Spraying the plants with the annnoniu 

 solution recommended for slugs, tobacco solution 

 or some proprietary mixture, will keep these 

 pests under control. Also encouraging their natural 

 enemies — the ichneuman's, &c., referred to in a 

 previous note. 



Turnip Fly on Flea Beetle. — In dry seasons, 

 more especially, this pest may destroy the whole 

 Turnip crop. The beetle which does "the damage 

 to the affected jjlants, more particularly if a piece 

 can be distinguished by careful observation close 

 of paper is laid on the ground close to the plant 

 and then the plants brushed over by the hand, 

 after which the little beetles, with the two yellow 

 lines, distinctly showing up, or their" wing 

 cases will be easily seen. The old methods of deal- 

 ing with tliis i)est were mainly in the form of 

 sticky substances, such as tar, cart grease, &c., 

 wliieh were stuck on to swinging boards drawn 

 quite close to the plants, so that when the beetles 

 jumped from the plants numbers were caught 

 on the prepared boards. An improved form of this 

 trap is known as the Wisley Turnip Fly Trap. 

 Furtlier methods of dealing with the pest are 

 (<i) keeping the plants syringed with paraffin 

 emulsion or arsenate of lead paste solution (this 

 latter is very poisonous) and (h) sowing an arti- 

 ficial fertiliser, such as superphosphate, with the 

 Turnip seeds, so that the Turnips are forced into 

 the rough leaf stage very quickly, when they are 

 less liable to attack. 



Cabbage and Turnip Gall Weevils.— These are 

 the pests which are responsible for the globular 

 excrescences on Cabbages, Turnips, &c. Inside 



the galls will be found the grubs, which later on 

 will develop into the Weevils or long-snouted, 

 beetle-like creatures. Paraffin emulsion and other 

 smelly mixtures sprayed over the plants in the 

 seed beds will keej) the pests away, as in the case 

 of Onion fly, &c. Where the nodules have 

 developed on Cabbage plants they should be cut 

 through and the grubs killed before replanting, 

 and when replanting the plants should be inserted 

 fairly deep so that new roots will arise from above 

 the damaged part. (!Z'o be cuncludcd.) 



Alpine and Rock Plants. 



As a rule when we s^jeak of the Alps we think 

 chiefly of the Alps of Europe, but the lofty 

 mountain ranges of America and Asia have con- 

 tributed many gems to our gardens. The nianber 

 of genera species and varieties is now very large 

 and tends to increase, yet the small dimensions 

 of very many makes it jiossible for the enthusiast 

 to grow hundreds of them in quite a small space. 

 One of the problems which often confronts the 

 beginner with a small garden, and perhaps only a 

 small sum available for the garden, is the pro- 

 vision of rocks; and this raises the question of 

 whether rocks are really necessary. Undoubtedly 

 they add much to the appearance of an alpine 

 garden, especially if fairly large and well placed. 

 On the other hand, a great deal of room is needed 

 to accommodate large rocks, and in a small gar- 

 den this is a grave consideration. There is no doubt 

 whatever that any amount of our choicest rock 

 plants, so called, may be grown without the help 

 of any rocks at all. In my opinion the soil i.s 

 the chief consideration. Given a well drained 

 gritty compost for those that require it, and peat 

 for those requiring moister conditions, there is 

 hardly any limit to the number that may be grown 

 successfully. Drainage is all important, and any- 

 thing approaching stagnation must be strictly 

 avoided, even for those requiring bog conditions. 

 The amount of bottom drainage required will vary 

 according to the site. If the position chosen is 

 naturally sloping there will, of course, be less 

 need for artificial drainage, in fact it may be over- 

 done. If the site is flat, however, necessitating 

 the raising of mounds either by the introduction 

 of soiL or by excavating paths, then it may be 

 necessary to drain. This can be done by arranging 

 a layer of fairly large stones wherever a bulk of 

 soil is to be placed and matters may be so arranged 

 that superfluous moisture from the different 

 heights will find its way into a peat bed, where a 

 great many moisture-loving Primulas, Meconopses, 

 Orchids, Pyrolas, and many others may find a 

 happy home. If the sub-soil is very stiff and re- 

 tentive it may be necessary to drain the peat bed 

 also. 



There is scope for any amount of ingenuity in 

 the construction of a small alpine garden as well 

 as a large one. The nature of the soil composing 

 the mounds will also be governed by the natural 

 soil of the garden. If it is fairly good it may not 

 i)e necessary to do more than add sufficient sand 

 and chips to provide free percolation. The time 

 was when any kind of gritty soil was thought good 

 enough for alpines. That idea, however, has now 

 been abandoned, and good loam thoroughly mixed 

 with sand and grit is now considered more satis- 

 factory for the majority. It is not necessary, per- 

 haps, to have the whole bulk of soil made un of 

 good loam and grit, but at least the top layer of the 

 depth of a foot or so should be of this nature; but 

 the whole bulk from top to bottom should be free 



